Reviews of books

Bevestigd werd dat bij rogge het bladgetal van de hoofdas door middel van selectie belangrijk verhoogd kan worden . Bij vroege zaai waren de verschillen en de spreiding het grootst . Deze verhoging van het bladgetal bleek samen to gaan met een verhoging van het totale bladoppervlak van de hoofdas. Deze vergroting kon in de vroege voorjaarsgroei stijgen tot 50 %. Als bijkomstigheid bleek nog dat de beide selecties een zeer gunstig herstellend vermogen bezaten na een aantasting door valse meeldauw .

nomic and political imperialists"; this, in turn, "forced them to sacrifice some of their ideals" (p. 126). The merchant leaders also came to "monopolize the distribution of clothing and other essential English manufactures" to the settlers in the forest hinterland, and gave rise to the emergence of a debtor class in the areas which later became New . . Carroll emphasizes primarily the rise in trade and the doings of the Puritan "leaders." Carroll is unable, however, to tell us quantitatively how large a role the timber trade played in the general economy of New England, nor does he give us a clear picture of the impact which the abundance of timber had on the economy of small farmers and woodsmen. For instance, though economic activity related to forest products was presumably a significant part of the over-all economy of New England, agriculture was perhaps more important; the abundance of timber must have had a significant impact on that sector, since agricultural implements and improvements, as Carroll documents, were, at the time, constructed largely of wood.
Carroll's effort, on its own terms, is good; it emphasizes the need to consider the part played in the early American economy not only by the abundance of land but also by its valuable tree cover. It is becoming increasingly apparent however, that the reliance on the sort of evidence which Carroll used for his research will inevitably lead to constructing only a partial, if not distorted, picture of the early American economy. A more complete picture can doubtlessly be provided by the systematic exploitation of documents such as probate inventory records. From that sort of evidence, which Carroll lamentably eschews, we might learn in greater detail the influence of the primeval forest on the new settlers-for instance, by how much, in quantitative terms, the early economy was enriched by the "destruction" of all those trees. Use of the term "creeping socialism" has been prevalent in America for some time. Often the term represents more of an attitude than a presentation of fact. If one accepts the economists' traditional definition of socialism as outright government ownership of major industries, the supporting evidence is meager. Nor has the government's share in Gross National Product appreciably increased over the last twenty years. Outlays of government have risen substantially, of course, but much of this increase is due to transfers which still give consumers ultimate command over resource allocation. However, it is not just hard-nosed, hard-hatted, laissez-faire conservatives who perceive an increasingly pervasive influence of government on our economic activity. Just mentioning the Price Commission, the Environmenal Protection Agency, and HEWs affirmative action directives suggests that the wag was wise who compared statistics to bikinis ("it's not what they show, but what they cover up, that's most important").
In this context appears a timely collection of readings edited by Messrs. Carson, Ingles, and McLaud. Eight sections of their volume cover various realms of governmental economic activity ranging from defense to pollution abatement. Both microeconomic and macroeconomic problems are treated, the latter in discussions not only of Keynesian-type fiscal policies but also of the more recent wage and price controls. International economic affairs, including foreign aid as well as multinational corporations, also receive consideration.
The editors begin their volume with essays presenting "conservative," "liberal," and "radical" viewpoints of government's role. Most sections of the readings include representatives of at least two of these philosophical stances. Although the conservatives get rather short shrift (Adam Smith and Milton Friedman being virtually the sole spoksemen of laissez-faire capitalism whose arguments are heard), the liberals are well represented by Keynes, Heller, Eckstein, Galbraith, Pechman, Heilbroner, and Fulbright. The radicals are also represented abundantly: Marx and Engels are followed by Sweezy, Baron, and a group of modern writers of this persuasion such as James O'Conner, Ronald Radosh, and Seymour Melman.
This breadth of viewpoint is impressive, and the wide scope of governmental activities is clearly revealed. However, the depth is ofttimes too shallow for the reader to fathom some vital aspects of the subjects covered. The various selections tend to be high on insight but low on information. Readers need knowledge of the internal mechanisms of agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission and the National Labor Relations Board, of processes such as the annual determination of the federal budget, or of procedures such as those for awarding defense contracts in order to evaluate some of the views expressed. Facts are not totally missing of course: extensive data appear in the introductory essay on the growth of government and in articles on taxes, the labor force, and educational attainment. But the orientation of the volume is clearly away from facts and toward interpretation of underlying forces.
The main intent of the volume seems, more specifically, to emphasize the radical viewpoint. Again, this emphasis is not inherently bad, for there certainly has been a dearth of material presenting this side. The vast majority of textbooks and instructors in economics seem to work from the assumption that capitalism is here to stay, questioning only the extent of governmental intervention desirable for its optimal functioning y t h e implication of the majority viewpoint is that government is a necessary evil-the liberal placing the stress on "necessary" and the conservative emphasizing the "evil," the one viewing it as a corrective, the other as largely a nuisance. We seldom hear or read the radical lament that government is simply a device in the hands of the capitalist class designed to maintain the system by assuring that the working class remains subservient and that the rapid accumulation of "surplus," supposedly inherent and ultimately self-destructive in a capitalist system, will not result in its demise.
However, just as traditional conservative and liberal arguments deserve illu-mination provided by the contrasting glow of writers from an opposing perspective, so too does the radical stand need critical evaluation. For example, Samuel Bowles' article musters evidence to support the argument that our system of education "reproduces the social division of labor." The view that our mode of education parallels and reinforces the repressive regimentation of industry has been voiced by others, including Alvin Toffler in Future Shock. But somehow one still suspects that Bowles has found correlation but not causality, that he has slipped into the post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy. Too often, as in this case, the editors suggest that the radical writer has had le dernier cri. However, the view that the problem is not creeping socialism but, instead, rampant capitalism, also deserves a direct critique. Nonetheless, this volume does provide an excellent opportunity to explore the expanding role of our government in its many aspects and from a variety of perspectives. Considering the plethora of material available on the topic,one should perhaps not carp at the editors for choosing poorly but praise them for having done so well.

RUSSELL D. SHANNON, Clemson University
American Business in the Twentieth Century. By Thomas C. Cochran. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1972. Pp. 259. $11.95.
American Business in the Twentieth Century is a 227-page account of business sector evolution from pre-World War I days to the present. The volume is read with a minimum of difficulty. Professor Cochran has completely avoided graphics and tabular presentations, repairing entirely to the narrative. Twenty pages of notes, placed at the end of the essay, serve as a guide to sources in business history without creating the necessity for regular reference during reading.
American Business is not economic history in disguise. The author has managed to sift out the politics, economics, and sociology, leaving a barebones description of those major changes apparent in what we view as the business sector. The principal theme of change is the growing partnership between business and government on the one hand, and the widening separation between business ownership and business management on the other. The development and results of these adjustments constitute the body of the volume.
The twelve chapters of American Business are grouped into three sections. Part One, "The Old Order, 1900-1930," establishes the necessary background information for eventual discussions of change. The unique character of the business sector in American society is outlined as an introduction to this sixchapter division. From this beginning Cochran reviews the technology and economics of business in the first thirty years of the century. The growing financial base essential for the establishment of business operations on a large scale is examined in the next chapter, followed by essays on the physical development of the firm itself as seen both from without and within. Finally, the role of business in the ups and downs of the American economy is analyzed